Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday rejected the result of the state governorship election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Chairman of Edo APC media campaign council John Mayaki said in a statement that the party rejected the result on allegations of irregularities.
“Our people were arbitrarily arrested, many of the figures were fabricated. Areas where we won, they cancelled them, they decreased the votes in areas we had advantage. They rejected our results and jerked up theirs,” Mr Mayaki said.
“Obaseki shouted that he was being rigged out and blamed INEC at the initial stage but that was to divert attention from the evil going on in the field.”
He, however, thanked the APC loyalists for the support and urged them to remain calm as the party leaders were studying the result and would soon announce their decision and course of action.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the electoral process in Edo.
In a statement by his spokesman Garba Shehu, Buhari congratulated Obaseki and urged him to show grace and humility in victory.
“My commitment to free and fair elections is firm, because without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak,” Buhari said.
“I have consistently advocated for free and fair elections in the country because it is the bedrock of true democratic order.
“Democracy will mean nothing if the votes of the people don’t count or if their mandate is fraudulently tampered with.”
He commended the people of Edo, political parties, candidates and security agencies for conducting themselves responsibly.
Obaseki had also commended Buhari for ensuring fairness in the election.
